Jury reaches a verdict in the trial of Idaho mother accused of killing her children
CNN —
[Breaking news update, published at 2:04 p.m. ET]
A jury has reached a verdict in the murder trial of Lori Vallow Daybell, the Idaho mother accused of killing her two children and conspiring in the murder of her husband’s ex-wife.
Vallow Daybell pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of conspiracy in the 2019 deaths of her children, 17-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow, as well as Tammy Daybell, the former wife of her husband Chad Daybell.
[Original story, published 12:48 a.m. ET]
Jury deliberations are set to continue Friday in the trial of Lori Vallow Daybell, the Idaho mother accused of killing her two children and conspiring in the murder of her husband’s ex-wife, according to a statement from the State of Idaho Judicial Branch.
Vallow Daybell faces life imprisonment if a jury of seven men and five women convicts her on two first-degree murder counts and three conspiracy counts in the September 2019 deaths of her son and daughter from previous marriages – Tylee Ryan, 17, and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7 – as well as Tammy Daybell, her husband’s ex-wife.
Tammy Daybell died in her sleep in October 2019 – Vallow Daybell married Chad Daybell weeks later.
Lori Vallow Daybell whispers to defense attorney John Thomas during her trial. Lisa Cheney/Pool
Among Vallow Daybell’s charges are grand theft on suspicion of changing bank accounts to collect Social Security benefits on behalf of her children after their deaths, according to a May 2021 indictment. Prosecutors said Thursday she didn’t report her children missing to keep collecting the money, East Idaho News reported.
She has pleaded not guilty.
Chad Daybell, who also pleaded not guilty to his charges, will be tried separately.
Law enforcement authorities discovered the remains of his stepchildren in his backyard in Fremont County, Idaho, in June 2020. He is charged with two felony counts of conspiracy to commit destruction; alteration or concealment of evidence; and two felony counts of destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence.
Lori Vallow Daybell's children, Joshua Vallow, 7, and his sister, Tylee Ryan, 17, went missing in September 2019, according to the Rexburg Police Department. Rexburg Police Department
Madison County prosecuting attorney Rob Wood urged the jury to convict Vallow Daybell on every count for which she is charged in closing arguments, which concluded Thursday after a month-long trial.
“You must convict her,” Wood said Thursday as the courtroom saw images of Vallow Daybell’s children and Tammy Daybell, East Idaho News reported.
Before resting their case Tuesday, the defense made a motion called Rule 29 seeking judgment of acquittal before the case is handed to the jury, on the grounds the case lacked sufficient evidence to warrant the charges, CNN affiliate KBOI-TV reported. Judge Steven Boyce denied the motion on all counts Thursday.
“No one here thinks Lori actually killed anyone, that’s why she’s being charged with conspiracy,” Jim Archibald, Vallow Daybell’s attorney, said Thursday.
“If you find her guilty, will that bring the kids back? Nope. If you find her not guilty, will that bring the kids back? Nope,” Archibald said, according to East Idaho News.
People familiar with the couple, who married shortly after Vallow Daybell’s children went missing, have described them as doomsday cult members with extreme religious beliefs, East Idaho News reported.
The couple “did endorse and espouse religious beliefs for the purpose of” justifying or encouraging the killings of the children and Tammy Daybell, the May 2021 indictment stated.
Their story was featured in a Netflix true-crime documentary last year.
Source: CNN
